Family Support In Addiction Treatment: What's The Problem?

The past ten years for me has been a steady process of identifying and becoming increasingly focused on addressing an issue that I am quite passionate about. And that would be (drum roll please)... Successful substance use disorder treatment. 

Now on the other hand, it might be more accurate to say that there is perhaps nothing that disturbs me more... than failed treatment. Especially when there are things that can be done to avoid it—and we don't do them!

So I guess you could say that over these past ten years I've pretty much been on a mission to do whatever I can to help improve substance use disorder treatment outcomes. 

And one of the areas I've specifically focused on is what I refer to as "the untapped potential that the family represents for improving treatment outcomes." In 2010 I sold my outpatient treatment program so that I could turn my attention to working specifically with families—to help them learn how to use the treatment process effectively and give their loved ones the best chance possible for treatment success. 

• First I developed a program for families to attend WHILE their loved one was in treatment. 

• Then I wrote a book based on what I learned from working with those families.

• Then I started making educational videos and developing training material that eventually turned into an online learning platform I called the RehabWorks Family Support Program.

And for the past few years I've been fine-tuning my RehabWorks platform so that it is now available to be used by treatment programs to supplement their own family programming, as well as for individuals to purchase directly and use it to solve some of the biggest problems families face in supporting a loved one's treatment. 

So now—the next item on my agenda...

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a major project I've been working on for several months: A specially designed online master class that spells out for families just how important their participation is when it comes to treatment outcomes. It's basically a 90-minute synopsis of all my best RehabWorks material all wrapped up into one concise presentation—with the sole intention of getting families motivated to participate in treatment with their loved one. And the really cool thing about this is that it will be available on demand, so that families can access the training any time they want. And it's totally free of charge. 

So I'm starting to get sort of excited as this project is coming together and I'm getting a glimpse of what this is going to look like. I think it's going to turn out to be a pretty valuable resource that has the potential to make a big impact on treatment outcomes—and help a lot of families avoid heartache. 

To give you a sneak peak, I just posted a clip from the presentation that I'd love for you to take a look at. You can find it here: Family Support In Addiction Treatment: What's The Problem?

Now—in the spirit of full transparency—I'll admit that I have sort of an ulterior motive for choosing this particular clip to preview. Never being one to shy away from an opportunity to stir things up a bit, I think there's a little "stirring" to be done around the the topic addressed in this clip. Because the truth is, I believe the case study presented in this particular section provides a perfect example of one of the most insidious factors that contributes to poor treatment outcomes today. And the bitter irony is that the solution is so simple it's easily overlooked. 

Can you guess what I might be talking about? Here's a hint: The answer is hidden in the title I chose for the video clip: "Family Support In Addiction Treatment: What's The Problem?"

Take a look at the video and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

RehabWorks is an online Family Education Program designed for the specific purpose of improving treatment outcomes through effective family engagement.

Individuals: ACCESS COURSE NOW

RehabWorks is also available for treatment facilities to use as part of their own program. 

Treatment professionals/facilities: REHABWORKS FOR PROVIDERS